Reluctant Retiree

Do you notice what is going on around you? I’m not talking about the big stuff, like a pandemic and the election. I am talking about the even bigger stuff, although it may seem routine and insignificant.

Did you notice the sunrise with its amazing colors this morning? Did you hear the birds chirping, each with their own special melody? Did you watch the squirrels doing their dances up the trees or over the grass? How about the unbridled joy of a small child jumping up and down in excitement over some small thing? Did you get to see the reflection of trees on a glassy lake in the early morning?

For once, I did see and notice all those things today. I’ve got to tell you that these things lifted my spirit and made me smile. They took my mind off the so called “big things” and took to a place of quiet and joy. They led me to good thoughts and thanksgiving for all I have been given.

Romans 1:19-20 says “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Take a moment to look around and see what you can see to lift you up to a higher level.

When I was younger, my mom worked a full-time job to support the family. She would then clean the whole house on Saturday. She did that by moving every piece of furniture so she could vacuum and clean where it had been. As a result, our house interior looked different every week. This was the source of the first argument my wife and I had. I wanted to move each piece of furniture to a new place each week. Having not grown up in the same environment as me, and being more sane than me, my wife did not want to rearrange furniture every week. I got over it.

In addition to frequently moving furniture, my mother wanted to paint the house interior about every other year. Of course, that meant the rest of us would do the painting. I grew pretty tired of this. I used to tell her that the livingroom used to be 10 feet by 13 feet, but now it was 8 feet by 10 feet, due to all the paint on the walls. I am not sure why she wanted the walls painted so frequently but I think it had to do with my dad’s smoking habit. She probably wanted to cover up the smoke stains and smell.

Isn’t that what we do with the bad parts of our character? Rather than dealing with and correcting our weaknesses, we try to cover them up. Jesus chided the Pharisees for being more concerned with appearances than with their hearts and souls.

Frankly I have never been too successful in trying to clean up my attitudes and behaviors in my own willpower. Fortunately, I have found that the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the Word of God can transform my character. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Why not let the Spirit clean house in your life?

On every personality test I have taken over the years, I have always been rated as an introvert. In fact, my introvert ranking is as strongly in that category as you can get.

Being an introvert does not mean that I don’t like people. In fact, I do like people. It is just that people draw energy out of me, while extroverts gain energy when they are with people.

Our culture does not understand or value introverts. We expect people to be outgoing and excited about every opportunity to party with others. By contrast I prefer interaction with a smaller number of people, or preferably one on one discussions. Sometimes I will decline an invitation to an event, preferring to be alone. If my wife and I have spent several days in a row with groups of people, she knows that I will need a break.

So, it’s not that I don’t like people, it’s just that I prefer them in smaller doses. Jesus knew the need to withdraw from people at times. He taught the thousands, but then withdrew to teach the twelve or to pray in solitary.

I find it interesting that the Old Testament law was to love your neighbor as yourself. But Jesus updated this law with a new commandment. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” The new commandment has a higher standard for love. Now we are to love as Jesus loved not just as we love ourselves. Introvert or extrovert, we are to love as Jesus loves us. Introvert or extrovert, Jesus loves with an abounding, steadfast and eternal love.

God has been working on me in the area of gratitude. A number of physical infirmities have come my way recently. It’s is not so much that I have been grumbling and complaining about these things, it is more that I have taken my eyes of the good things God is giving me.

It is so easy to become so absorbed in momentary difficulties that we miss God’s blessings. Let me give you an example. In 2001 I was enjoying an effective ministry in Nepal. God was doing amazing things and I was seeing him work through me and others. In the midst of this, I developed a pinch nerve in my neck that was very painful. We went to Singapore and I had surgery. I then had to wear a neck brace for several months. I didn’t care for either of those experiences. My attention was drawn to my ailments, forgetting many of the blessings I had received, like expert care and immediate pain relief.

I hadn’t bothered to thank God for these and other blessings. Then, as I was entering the doctor’s office for a follow-up exam, I held the door open for a tiny toddler and her parents. The toddler was also in a big brace and bandaged. I was immediately struck by how fortunate I was. I was an adult better equipped to handle my circumstances, by God’s grace, than this child. Also I wasn’t watching my child suffer as her parents were. God had given me the privilege of serving him and watching him move and bless others through me. I needed to be humbled and thank him for his many great and wonderful gifts.

Ephesians 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” And I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

It is my opinion that people generally don’t think about themselves accurately. We often think too highly of ourselves. When we achieve things, we tend to forget how others contributed to the success. When we give we overstate our generosity. When we think about ourselves we rate our strengths too highly and discount our weaknesses, especially on resumes.

Some of us actually think too lowly of ourselves. We overstate or imagine weaknesses. We undervalue the strengths we do have. Humility is a good character trait to possess but humility does not mean to think lowly of yourself. Humility means to think accurately about yourself and to act accordingly.

Once again Jesus is our example. Philippians 2:5-11 says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus’ humility not only teaches us how to be humble but also demonstrates his Lordship over all things.

During my morning walk I tripped over a uneven section of sidewalk. I fell and skinned up my knees, arms, and hands. This is the third time this has happened in recent weeks. Apparently I need to pick up my feet when I walk and not just shuffle them.

It didn’t feel too good. In fact it still hurts a bit. However, I didn’t sprain or break anything. My initial reaction was frustration at tripping again. Then I thought how fortunate I was that nothing serious happened. Even while I was still on the ground gathering my senses, I began to thank God that I wasn’t hurt more than I was.

Every day we all have things that trip us up. Unexpected things to do, bad drivers, illness, harsh words from others, and other unforeseen obstacles pop up and trip us. They can set the tone for our day if we let them. Our response to these obstacles constitute the first steps toward positive or negative consequences. We can begin to dig a deeper hole for ourselves or look up and see the beauty created for us.

After I fell, I continued my walk. I looked to the sky on my right and saw a beautiful orange and blue sunrise. It picked my spirits up to the point that I had to direct a passing pedestrian to look at the sunrise also. I said, “Don’t miss looking up and seeing the beautiful sunrise God has prepared for you.” To be honest, she did not seem impressed. There you have it, two different responses that set in motion the positive and negative outlooks on our day.

Jesus said that there is one stumbling block that we must all respond to. It is how we respond to him that determines how we will spend eternity. Peter puts it like this, “For it stands in Scripture: Behold I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, the stone who the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.”

I am watching baseball. The announcers use a word not often associated with a game, sacrifice. The idea is a hitter giving himself up to advance or score a runner.

Most people make a lot of sacrifices to benefit others. These sacrifices include gifts of time for family members, money to charities, help to those in need, assistance to those who are struggling. Some people even go as far as donating blood, plasma, marrow or organs to others. Beyond these sacrifices are the ones made by military members and first responders, which often include the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.

Jesus said that a friend is one who gives his own life for another. He gave his life so that others would be saved and live with him in eternity. Mark 10:45 records Jesus as saying, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We’ve all heard the expression “home is where the heart is”. For most of us home has special meaning for us. The word conjures up fond memories of family, fun, and love.

Here, in Indiana, most people still live near the place they grew up in. They can, and do, revisit their childhood homes and neighborhoods. Many still have close friends from that area. In fact, many have not even traveled far from home.

My life started similarly. I lived in the same house for the first 21 years of my life. Then I got married and we moved 12 times in the first 6 years of marriage. While we didn’t keep us this pace we have moved several times in the next 43 years until now. I have fond memories of each place but I don’t consider any of these places to be my home. I wouldn’t feel really comfortable returning to any of these places.

The Bible explains that this world is not the true home of those who are true believers in Jesus Christ. Our citizenship is in heaven with Jesus. We are brothers and sisters in Christ and will live with Him forever.

Philippians 3:20-21 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Have you ever watched geese for very long? They generally spend the whole day walking around pecking at the ground for food. If they have food they are satisfied. They don’t need to do anything else.

I know people like that. If they just have enough food, they are not motivated to do anything else. They won’t put effort into securing their future or developing relationships, or even taking care of other basic needs.

This seems short-sighted and misdirected to me. But people who focus on some other things can be equally misdirected. I would include in that category those who focus on their clothing, riches, fame, and selfishness to the detriment of loftier pursuits.

Jesus says it best. “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself.” Luke 9:24-25 ESV We lose our soul if we focus on ourselves only.

I went to see my cardiologist today. He gave me good news and bad news. The good news is that my heart muscle is working just fine. The bad news is that my heart’s electrical system is not working well at all. So he is sending me to a Cardiac Electrophysicist.

I have never heard of that medical specialty. Sometimes it seems that specialties are so narrow that these medical personnel know only one thing. How about the gastrenterologist who only does colonoscopies? If you ask a specialist about a body function outside his specialty, they probably can’t help you.

Often I feel like the specialist. Ask me a question about something I’ve studied or had experience with and I can give you an answer. The answer may not be correct based upon my limited study or experience.

Sometimes when I am getting a medical test, like an MRI or CT Scan, I think to myself why don’t they just go to the source to find out what they want to know. I believe that God formed me in my mother’s womb and he still knows the intimate details of what is going on in my body. He can see and feel the incorrect electrical impulses in my heart. He knows the causes and what should be done to fix them. However he is not being asked, except by me, of course. He is not a specialist, but in fact, he knows all things, including the effective remedies. I say, “Go to the source, the creator.”

Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”